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After India’s heartbreaking loss at the ODI World Cup 2023, the Men in Blue continue to soar high after clinching the five-match T20I series against Australia by 4-1 margin and look forward to registering their maiden series win on South African soil. While they tour the rainbow nation for a multi-format tour, the hype around the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also reaching heights as around 333 players will go under the hammer on Tuesday, December 19 in Dubai.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have already released the list of players for IPL 2024 auction, IPL franchise Delhi Capitals have also made a big statement of Rishabh Pant’s availability. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter, who has been out for almost a year now, is all set to mark his return in the IPL 2024.
While it was Australian opener David Warner, who led the side in the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league, the management has confirmed that Pant is set to mark his return and lead the franchise in IPL 2024. “If he is not keeping, he will definitely be on the field and will lead the side,” a franchise official said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The management officials have further added that Pant is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is expected to regain full fitness by the end of February 2024. The Delhi-based franchise further added that he will keep the wickets only if cleared by the BCCI, otherwise he will focus on batting and fielding.
The franchise will look forward to seeing Pant’s return and aim that the team finishes in a better position than the last edition, where they were among the first to knock out of the league stage. Pant took the helm in IPL 2021, becoming the fifth youngest captain in the T20 league. While the DC finished at the top of the points table in IPL 2021, they then finished the league stage at fifth place in IPL 2022.
